Sunday, January 1, 2017

How To Make Conservatism Great Again in 2017

This has not been the finest year for American conservatism. Even though Donald Trump won the Republican nomination and subsequently defeated Hillary Clinton, his administration looks to challenge many of the values that we hold dear. By considering a 10% tariff on American imports, free enterprise and free trade could be forsaken in the hope of appeasing millions of Americans who rightfully feel disgruntled over the loss of their jobs. In addition, his attitude toward Putin and Russia in light of the hacking scandal challenges a bipartisan consensus that wishes to hold them accountable for their nefarious acts. Finally, the rise of the new right and the alt-right following Trump's victory places principled conservatism at odds with not only the establishment of the Republican Party but also various right-wing Americans who challenge several of our ideological pillars ranging from hawkish foreign policy to fiscal responsibility.

While it is never bad to vigorously debate amongst those within our tent on policy, as conservatives, there are other issues at stake that we have to focus on as a cohesive unit.

Hillary Clinton may have lost the election and the Democratic Party holds significantly less power today than it has in nearly a century, but it does not mean that the left does not pose an issue for us. College campuses remain a hotbed of leftist radicalism, where professors openly wish for white genocide and where anti-Semites flourish without paying the consequences of their deeply bigoted behavior. The leading contender for chair of the Democratic National Committee is also a vicious anti-Semite and hopes to bring the Democratic Party further down the regressive leftist path that cost them the election in the first place. Furthermore, the mainstream media continues to make mountains out of molehills every time Trump tweets or announces something that they find to be unconventional, further discrediting them in the event that Trump actually does something problematic once he enters the White House. Finally, Hollywood leftists continue to use their pedestal to not only to exemplify hypocrisy of the highest order, but also to express deplorable rhetoric.